Gaines Group Blog

Good design is a common theme in my posts. How do you construct a house that is healthy, energy-efficient, and durable for instance? This is achieved through good design. However, design matters in every aspect of life. If you watch carefully you will see design making a difference in everything from the stores you shop in to the roads you drive on. There is careful attention paid in some cases and a lack of attention in others. Good design is sometimes not noticed, which was how it was designed. Think of a building that you have never entered before, you are looking for a particular department, through design the path is intuitive and you find your way. Or think of a kitchen in a home that is designed for the way you cook, it minimizes steps, offers the right amount of storage for cooling your baked goods, while still allowing you to prepare dinner. As a culture we often do not celebrate good design in the built world, but it makes our lives easier. In the automobile world however, we celebrate good design, even to the point of building a building to store good design to show it off to anyone that cares to visit.

On my recent trip to Warroad Minnesota to learn more about the production of Marvin windows, I toured The Shed. I am honored to get the opportunity to tour both the factory building windows, but also the private collection of classic cars owned by the Marvin family. Here are some of my favorite:

N2A – a classic look custom built modern car

1936 Auburn 852 – 1 of 500 ever produced, each car was tested before it left the factory for top speed – this one went 101 miles per hour

1957 Suburban GMC = 1 of 500 made and only 100 made in 1957, automatic transmission, power steering, and Air Ride Seat

1957 Chevy Bel Air in Iconic robins egg blue

1969 GTO The Judge Ram Air III with eight track tape player

1932 Ford Roadster – the only car ever to lay claim to the Triple Crown of Hot Rodding